Page 7 of More Tricks

“Of course, you can, little demon,” he said, offering it to me. “Do you want me to stay, or would you rather talk to him alone?”

“I’ll come out after I’m done talking to him. We all know he’ll want a report from Picasso, the control freak that he is,” I answered.

Dropping a kiss on my head, he left me to curl up in Eagle’s chair, and I dialed his phone. I wasn’t sure he had it, but it was worth a shot. If he didn’t answer, then I would call Dani and have her hand it over.

“It’s about goddamn time you called, you ugly bastard.” Eagle snarled into the phone.

I couldn’t help but snort at that. “If that’s how you talk to him on the phone, it’s a wonder he calls you ever.”

“Little hellcat.” He purred into the phone. “Fuck, I miss you.”

“It’s only been a few hours since I saw you, and you’re not the one who believed you might be dead for half the day,” I shot back.

“Dax,” Eagle countered in a knowing voice. “What happened?”

“What didn’t happen,” I grumbled. “The guys are pissed at me, you’re in the hospital, the FBI is here passing judgment, and I just can’t deal with it all right now.”

“In other words, you hit your limit on shit you can handle all on your own,” Eagle stated, making me cringe at how right he was.

Kicking my feet over the armrest, I leaned into the back of the chair. “I don’t like them mad at me, and I don’t know how to fix it. Well, okay, Cognac basically told me how, but he makes it sound so simple. You understand, as leaders, we do what is best for our people regardless of how they will feel about it later because they’re still alive to bitch about it.”

“Well, I’ll be damned, is Two Tricks coming to me for advice on how to deal with people?” Eagle teased.

“No, your wife is,” I shot back, then paused, realizing that I actually liked saying that.

“Yup, I’m gonna need to make that happen really quick because fuck, do I love the sound of that coming out of your mouth, little hellcat,” Eagle commented to himself.

“Enzo,” I warned.

“Hey, now, no name calling,” Eagle shot back. “Tell me everything from the moment you got taken, and I’ll see what advice I can offer when it comes to the guys.”

So that’s exactly what I did, explaining how I took out Mastiff, the drugged girls, then the bomb.

“Back up one sec,” Eagle cut in. “Did you just say that you took an ax to an electrical panel wiring?”

Rubbing my forehead, knowing this was gonna go downhill, I nodded as I answered, “Yeah, that’s what I did.”

“Of course you did. Then what?” Eagle acknowledged and moved on.

Next, I covered the guys and the FBI showing up, dealing with the women, going to see him, and taking the helicopter to the compound. He was oddly quiet after I shared my epic takedown of the machine gun on the back of the truck, not at all as impressed as I was. Then there was the live-action laser tag with Void. I shared about Pinky being a mole but left out the fact his nephew was part of this too. That was Picasso’s deal once we got Eagle back home.

“Now the FBI is here to deal with the litter of dead bodies. I suggested we just burn the bastards, but Cam said that would cause more problems,” I finished with a sigh. “So what do I do? How do I make them stop being mad at me?”

“You’re absolutely not going to like it,” he responded.

Sitting up, I swung my feet forward and leaned my elbows on my knees. “Just tell me.”

“Part of why you’re feeling the way you are right now is because I’m here in a hospital after you thought I was dead. My guess is you want to be near me as much as I want to have you wrapped up in my arms,” he explained. “This is how the guys feel right now with how many death-defying moments you’ve had. All they want is to keep you in their sights so they know, without a doubt, you’re alright. Give them a day or two to calm down. I’m sure the grounding won’t stick. They know you’ll never let that stand, but giving into it even for a short while will show how much you care and respect their feelings.”

I groaned. “God, everyone is getting all Dr. Phil on me tonight. I get what you’re saying, though. Today has been a lot for us all, and the day just won’t end.”

“Promise me you will get some sleep. The doctors said if I’m as stable as I have been, they’ll let me go home since we have Dani looking after me,” Eagle informed me. “You should see that woman in action. She is kinda scary when she gets all boss-ass nurse on your ass.”

“Tell me about it. That’s why I hired her,” I agreed. “I’m assuming you want to talk to Picasso?”

“Nah, you gave me the four-one-one, and my pain meds just kicked in, so I’m gonna be useless in about five minutes. Get some sleep, hellcat. You’ve done good, and I love you,” Eagle reassured.

“Love you too,” I whispered back before hanging up.